Tiger Guards

Chapter 51 Private Arms
"This is how people live..."

In the morning, Zhao Ji woke up and lay on the kang in a big word.

The kang was invented a long time ago, but its current structure is not very scientific.

In this season where spring and summer meet, the Hou family's kang is still burning.

It can repel moisture and insects, and it is warm and comfortable to sleep in at night.

He turned over, supported himself on the edge of the kang with his hands and jumped down without any regrets.

The world outside is still very dangerous. If you are obsessed with this moment of enjoyment, you may really lose your head.

After putting on deerskin boots, double-leg armor, tying his belt, hanging his sword and walking out of the dormitory, he saw Han Shu wearing armor and sleeping soundly on the relatively simple kang outside.

There was no alarm. The Huben were very tired now, especially those in his own team who had followed him to charge forward.

When he walked out of the house, he saw a Tiger Guard on duty in the corridor, flipping through a scroll of bamboo slips. When he saw Zhao Ji coming out, the Tiger Guard stood up and said, "Captain."

"What are you looking at?"

"It's Gongyang Chunqiu. I'll put it back right away."

"You continue watching. I'm going to see Cang Cao."

Zhao Ji waved his hand and put on his helmet. Without washing up, he walked towards the warehouse.

As I walked out of the courtyard, I saw several maids and a dozen strong women cooking breakfast. Two tiger soldiers and several auxiliary soldiers who were reorganized from county soldiers were standing nearby.

One of the auxiliary soldiers was the scarred man from the county who had been chatting with Zhao Ji for half the night. When he saw Zhao Ji coming, he subconsciously lowered his head.

When Zhao Ji passed by, he asked, "I haven't asked for your name yet."

"I dare not, my humble servant Gou Sheng."

"From the North Township?"

"Yes, I'm from Qipingli, Beixiang."

Zhao Ji nodded and asked, "Did you gain anything?"

"We caught one of the thieves last night."

Zhao Ji asked again: "Do you have a family?"

Seeing Zhao Ji smile, Gou Sheng also smiled: "It used to be there, but it disappeared later."

"Would you mind having more children?"

"As a poor and destitute person, I dare not ask for anything. I am willing to listen to the arrangements made by the village chief."

"Alright, since you've made great contributions and are an auxiliary soldier, if you can't get a horse as a reward, we'll give you a widow. As you know, their fathers or brothers were killed or captured with the bandits. We'll carefully select them. They'll either be widows with children or women whose fathers or brothers were captured. However, the latter will be chosen by single Tiger Soldiers first, so I'm afraid you won't get a chance."

"I'm not picky. I'm content as long as I have a family."

Gou Sheng quickly responded that she was already 32 years old and as a widow who could share the responsibility of taking care of children, her life would immediately get back on track.

Seeing this, Zhao Ji nodded and turned to walk towards the warehouse area where Jia Kui was.

Inside, the tiger guards, auxiliary troops, and young and strong captives were carrying equipment and cloth, and Jia Kui was standing in the golden sunlight to supervise.

Zhao Ji strode forward. Jia Kui's eyes were dark. "Aji, why don't you sleep a little longer?"

"Don't dare to seek pleasure."

Zhao Ji looked at the already assembled vehicles and said, "Brother Liang, we need to build not only ships but also vehicles."

Jia Kui nodded and said, "I have the same idea. I just hope that Aji can defeat the enemy and return victorious. Without Aji, we will not be able to accomplish anything."

Zhao Ji knew what he was worried about, so he said, "I can convince Lord Zhao. After defeating the bandits, I will definitely escort the surrendered troops back to Beijiang. But Lord Zhao is also short of capable officials. I would like to ask Lord Zhao to recommend Brother Liang Dao to the Secretariat. That way, if we encounter any problems, Brother Liang Dao will be able to deal with them and provide protection."

"Shangshutai?"

Jia Kui was shocked when he heard this and shook his head. "I'm not trying to be hypocritical, I just don't dare leave here. If possible, could you recommend my brother-in-law?"

Considering Jia Kui's family background and his declining influence over the years, starting as a Shangshulang was already an extraordinary treatment.

"I understand. I'm not sure if it will work. Brother Liang will discuss this with Brother Liu. Also, regarding the treatment of the wounded Tiger Guards, Brother Liang will need to find reliable personnel. Don't be afraid of wasting money and food. People are more important than anything else."

Zhao Ji saw two guards bringing breakfast and pointed to the nearby steps, saying, "Let's eat here." Jia Kui didn't object and sat down with Zhao Ji on the steps, each holding a plate. Jia Kui took a sip from the soup bowl and said with a smile, "I heard that Aji didn't want to be adopted. Why are you going to ask Lord Zhao for help?"

There was nothing to be embarrassed about. Zhao Ji smiled calmly, "If I bow down, wouldn't Lord Zhao look down on me? Besides, time is running out. Being pretentious will only delay the opportunity. We won't have a second chance."

"Well, I'll try my best to persuade my brother."

Jia Kui agreed and then asked, "Aji has beheaded the most people, so it's hard to reward him. Does Aji want cloth, horses, or servants?"

If the captives were taken back to their homes and settled, they would not be able to eat the current collective food.

Zhao Ji thought for a moment and said, "Give me some of the cloth, and exchange the rest for horses and riding slaves. Brother Liang, you can distribute them according to their merits. One more or one less horse won't be a problem."

"No women?"

"It will distract me and hinder my work. If the slaves assigned to me have families, don't give them to others. When these slaves perform meritorious deeds in the future, I will use their merits to redeem their families."

"It's not difficult. I can give Aji about fifteen mounted slaves and horses, three more horses, two carts, and thirty pieces of cloth."

These were the personal wealth and weapons given to Zhao Ji, and Jia Kui didn't mind giving more.

Zhao Ji's achievements cannot be measured by beheadings, defeating enemies, or command. Morale motivation must also be taken into account. No one would have any objection to increasing the calculation.

The merits of others are simple. In total, there are only seven or eight levels, and rewards can be given according to the level.

Zhao Ji is a unique hero. Once we decide on Zhao Ji, it will not be difficult to identify the others.

What he feared most was that Zhao Ji would ask for more, or even the confiscated gold.

This part of gold is to be presented to the emperor. Only with gold can the emperor have dignity.

Even if we present this gold to the emperor, he can give it back as a reward.

Since Zhao Ji took the lead in complying with the distribution rules, Jia Kui was also happy to maintain these rules.

After the meal, Wei Xing drove the herd of horses over, accompanied by cavalry selected from the surrendered Hu tribes, herdsmen who mastered simple veterinary techniques, and even two blacksmiths and several apprentices.

These people are responsible for the cutting and maintenance of horses' hooves, as well as the forging and binding of horseshoes; they also participate in the repair of military equipment.

Leather single-sided stirrups and horseshoes accelerated the rise of the Xianbei people. Before the introduction of horseshoes, horses would also wear "shoes" made of leather and rattan when fighting, also called "gedi".

Technologies such as horseshoes only began to spread in the Hedong region after the Zaohu and Xiongnu migrated south.

Before the battle, knights would dress their horses in straw sandals or leather shoes.

Although iron is valuable, horses are the next most valuable thing to the Huben.

It is undoubtedly cost-effective to use iron that can be collected and smelted to protect the difficult-to-grow horse herd.

After Wei Xing handed over his horses, mounted slaves, and craftsmen to Jia Kui, he asked Jia Kui, "Grandmaster of the Warehouses, can my merits be exchanged for Hou Mo's concubine?"

He was one of the few people who had beheaded more than three levels of people. Jia Kui glanced at the back of Zhao Ji who was studying horseshoes and said to Wei Xing: "Yes, I can give you three more rolls of cloth, one each of fine cloth, coarse silk and silk."

"That's good."

Wei Xing pursed his lips, his eyes sparkling: "I'll take it now. Can I go back to the camp with the captain?"

Seeing him so anxious, Jia Kui was not surprised. This group of people were able to endure until now, which was already a great favor to them.

After thinking for a moment, she said, "Come with me. I'll arrange a job for her in tailoring after I've chosen her. But you have to think things through. I hope you can wait two months before having sex."

"What are you talking about?"

Wei Xing glared, "I'm going south to fight the bandits this time, and I'm determined to die. Why would I care about these things? Let's be straightforward first, and then we can talk about these things."

Anyway, the woman obtained in exchange for merit will only be a concubine in the future. What influence can the eldest son of a concubine have on her?
If I die in battle while going south to fight the enemy, everything will be in vain. There is really nothing to worry about.

If he returns victorious, will he still need a wife in the future?

Seeing that Wei Xing had already figured out the matter, Jia Kui was too lazy to try to persuade him any further.

If there are conflicts in the future, it has nothing to do with him.

In such a chaotic world, although Jia Kui got married, he did not dare to have children rashly.

Seeing Jia Kui was about to take him to the selection, Wei Xing said again: "Please ask the warehouse officer to give me some cloth first. It would be inappropriate for me to go to the selection empty-handed."

(End of this chapter)